Staff Report
While state officials encourage companies to have employees work from home, there are several “essential businesses” that are exempt from Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order, which goes into effect at 5 p.m. Monday.
Those businesses include:
- Those that meet social distancing requirements
- Businesses, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions operating in critical infrastructure sectors
- Healthcare and public health operations
- Human services operations
- Essential infrastructure operations
- Essential government operations
- Stores that sell groceries and medicine
- Food and beverage production and agriculture
- Organizations that provide charitable and social services
- Religious entities
- Media
- Gas stations and businesses needed for transportation.
- Financial and insurance institutions
- Home improvement, hardware and supply stores
- Critical trades (plumbers, electricians, etc.)
- Mail, post, shipping, logistics, delivery and pick-up services
- Educational institutions
- Laundry services
- Restaurants for consumption off-premises
- Supplies to work from home
- Supplies for COVID-19 essential businesses and operations
- Transportation
- Home-based care and services (for children, elderly, etc.)
- Residential facilities and shelters
- Professional services (attorneys, accountants, etc.)
- Manufacture, distribution and supply chain for critical products and industries
- Defense and military contractors
- Hotels and motels
- Funeral services
- Additional businesses (electronic retailers; lawn and garden equipment retailers; book stores that sell educational material; beer, wine and liquor stores; retail functions of gas stations and convenience stores; retail located within healthcare facilities; pet and feed stores).
See the order attached to this post for more details on businesses that fall into the aforementioned categories.
